A Life Well Lived!

A life well lived!  Grandma Shaefer passed away from her earthly home to her heavenly home on Saturday May 11, 2013.  She was Josh's maternal Grandma.  I can recall the first time I met her.  Josh was quite nervous because it was very important to him that I had her stamp of approval.  I passed.  I remember arriving to her home and sitting in her blue chair, her home was very clean and she was proud of that.  She also was very proud of her St. Louis Cardinals!  She always watched them faithfully!  Win or loose!  I don't follow baseball but I am quite sure that she was able to see them go to the World Serious a time or too.  She was very thrifty but she was very giving.  She gave all she had.  She gave of her time to others and of her money.  She loved without regrets.  She lived life!  She served others well.  I can remember many times she would come out and "save" me from my piles and piles of laundry that I had.  She always would start her day with the newspaper and a cup of coffee.  She loved well and her family knew that they were the most important thing to her.  I think my favorite meal that Grandma cooked would be TACO'S!!!!  It was always extra special when we were able to order pizza from Saylor's.  Especially when we were visiting from Iowa! I know that Grandma is rejoicing at being reunited with her beloved husband, Pat.  Her siblings, Mike and her beloved flea bags as she called the dogs!  She loved them along with Lily's beloved cat "Angel"!  I am sure her and my grandmother Cobb are catching up as well!  Grandma will be missed but her memory will live on!
Below is a link to watch a video I made of her and some pictures.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiQbDdikKus

Happy Birthday to Lily!!!!!

Lily Adeline Johnson you came into this world on Monday May 12, 2003 at 1745!  You wasted no time getting here and you have not wasted a minute since!  You were born by emergency c-section and I am so grateful to the amazing doctor's and nurses that worked quickly to get you here healthy, kicking and screaming and showing us that all of your vital organ's were functioning!  You were the FIRST Grandchild and the FIRST Great Grandchild on almost all sides expect for my mom's side.  After you were born it was a grand event, you had many visitors coming up to see you!  So many in fact the nurses had to put a stop to the number of visitors you were having just so that mommy could get some rest!  In your ten years of life I think you have experienced and rebounded with great zeal!

Your first birthday was a celebration to remember with over 50 people packing in the parsonage!

We moved to a new house at 1228 Reed Street in the spring of 2005 where we celebrated your

second birthday with a slightly smaller celebration!

We welcomed your little brother Timmy into the world on December 20th!

You were very excited to have a baby but there are days now that I am not sure how excited you are to have the endearment of Timmy!  I keep telling you though one day when you are older you will be so glad you have your brothers!

You were a champ when mommy spent 3 weeks away in the PICU with your brother!  You loved on him well!

You LOVED your paci and "nene's" as you called them!  We may have lost one of them but the other you still sleep with!

For your 3rd birthday you wanted a GREEN tractor!

In February we welcomed your little brother William!  There were times where I think you thought he was YOUR baby!

Then there was the move back to Indiana.  You had only known Iowa.  We moved to Fowler and lived there for 4 years.  Then we moved to Shirley where we are now.  You are a blessed girl as you got to experience the joy of 6 GREAT Grandparents and the joy of 5 Grandparents!  I can not wait to see where these next year take you as you lead your friends, as your grow in your walk with the Lord, as you mature in your piano and horse lessons and as you continue to blaze the trail!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!

If You Want Me To! By: Ginny Owens

This Mother's Day Sunday was Andrew Lyon's last Sunday to lead worship for awhile as MPC is going to be having Alana Story as our Worship Leader's.  I have LOVED having Andrew lead us in worship!  There is something about his sweet spirit that takes you to the THRONE room!  He dissects songs just like a scientist dissects an animal.  Piece by piece, verse by verse!  I am sure if we ever had the opportunity to sit down and dissect this particle song it would be EPIC!
Today it was just Andrew and the piano and it was a slice of heaven!  He did a melody of several Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin Songs!  LOVED IT!  Ending with a Hymn!  He even had the HYMNAL out!!!!!!  Ya'll that is unheard of any more and there are times where the richness from a song can nail the spirit!  I am going to dissect how this song "If You Want Me To" has been played over and over and over again and again in my life!  When Ginny wrote this song she wrote it out of her own trouble of finding a job.  You see she is a gifted piano player and singer but yet she is blind.  She struggled with finding a job as a choir teacher and I am not 100% sure she ever did but she did put out some pretty AMAZING CD's!  I get her and connect with her just the same way I connected with Jesus today in worship!

"If You Want Me To"

written by: Kyle David Matthews and Ginny Owens

The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear

And I don't know the reasons why you brought me here.

But just because you love me the way that You do

I'm gonna walk through the valley if you want me to.

Wow!!!!  We are saying YES LORD I will go through the valley of life that you have prepared for me because I know HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME!!! The many time's that I have moved from state to state or even city to city.  Not because I WANTED to but because it was part of God's bigger plan!  

Cause I'm not who I was when I took my first step

And I'm clinging to the promise You’re not through with me yet.

So if all of these trials that bring me closer to You

Then I will go through the fire if you want me to.

"Cause I'm NOT who I was when I took my first step!"  POWERFUL words and so thankful that we are NEVER who we were when we took that first step in our Christian walk!  I am thankful that we are always striving to be more like Christ.  To be more like him!  And how AWESOME is it to say that we can CLING to the promises he has written in the bible!  I am not sure where I would be without the everlasting WORD of God for guidance and strength! And to say YES Lord I will go through this FIRE if that is what I need to do.  I don't know about you but for me those are SCARY words to say but yet at the same time such FREEDOM can come from them when we say YES Lord I will go through this trial!  Never did I think that going through two back surgeries was part of MY plan but God knew it was part of HIS plan!  Never did I think have a child sick and in the hospital be part of MY plan but it was part of HIS plan!  Each time we go through a trial in life God uses these to mold us and shape us into more of his image.  These fires that we go through stretch us, teach us to trust in HIM more and gain our strength from HIM!

And it may not be the way I would've chosen

When you lead me through a world that's not my home

But you never said it would be easy

You only said I'd never go alone.

WOW!  This first line is SUCH THE TRUTH!!!!  There are many things in life that did not go the way I thought it should have gone!  I never thought that I would go down the path of a divorce, nope, I never thought I would go through seven surgeries that doesn't happen to me!  I never thought I would be a "heart mom" NOPE!  I am a good person, that wouldn't happen to me but you know that it DID and God has used those trials to teach me and grow and make me stronger!

So when the whole world turns against me

And I'm all by myself

And I can't hear you answer my cries for help

I'll remember the suffering that your love put you through

And I will go through the valley if you want me to.

"When the WHOLE world turns against me!"  How many times have you and I said that nobody understands?  I have no one to turn to.  God WHERE ARE YOU?!  He has never LEFT you!  He died on the cross for your sins!  He stretched our his ARMS and said I LOVE YOU_______ this much!!!!  We can MAKE it through these trials in life because HE loves us and has already GONE BEFORE US!!!!!